1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus such as an electronic organizer, a pocket computer, a personal computer, a programmable measuring instrument or the like, and to an adapter for the electronic apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to an electronic apparatus which is provided with various functions by a device such as a memory card (a card containing either ROM or RAM, or both) detachably mounted in the apparatus body, and to an adapter for the electronic apparatus.
2. Description of the prior art
Electronic apparatuses such as electronic organizers are provided with various functions by a memory card containing a memory such as a ROM or the like, mounted in the apparatus body. Interfaces which may be used for the connection of the memory card to the electronic apparatus include multiple-pin contact connections, 8-pin contact connections, non-contact electromagnetic induction connections, non-contact radio wave connections, and various others. Since these interfaces are not compatible with each other, a device having, for example, a non-contact electromagnetic induction interface cannot be directly connected for use with an apparatus having an ordinarily used contact interface. Therefore, data transmission between an apparatus with a contact interface and a memory card with a non-contact interface is usually achieved using a reader-writer, which means that the apparatus is required to be equipped with an interface for special use with the reader-writer in addition to the interface for the memory card. Hence, the problem arises that the apparatus body will become larger in size to house the extra interface.
Generally, a memory card uses a multiple-pin contact interface with 30 to 50 pins, and the thickness of the memory card is 2 to 5 mm. Apart from such memory cards, in recent years IC cards have been coming into wide use which contain a CPU and can be written to. The IC card uses either an 8-pin contact interface or a non-contact interface, and the thickness is approximately 0.76 mm. The IC card is usually used with an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) or the like. Since the IC card thus has a thinner construction than the memory card for special use with a given electronic apparatus, and since the IC card uses an interface of different type from that of the memory card, the IC card cannot be used with the electronic apparatus by inserting it into the memory card slot of the apparatus body. To use the IC card as well as the memory card, an electronic apparatus is required, as shown in FIG. 13, to be equipped with a memory card slot 92 for mounting the memory card and an IC card slot 93 for mounting the IC card in its body 90. Hence, the problem arises that the apparatus body 90 will become larger in size. If the construction is so made that the memory card slot 92 and the IC card slot 93 are disposed one on the top of the other, it is possible to reduce the size of the apparatus body 90 to some extent, but in the case of a portable electronic apparatus such as an electronic organizer with which the memory card is usually used, the size may still be too bulky for the portable purpose for which such apparatus is designed.